Beginnings, Ideas

I’ll admit it: I’ve been that person who stopped doing what she loved because she didn’t have time. Because she was all out of ideas. I had been blogging about children’s books for a couple of years, and late last year, I hit a wall. Everything I wrote felt stale, stagnant, tired. I was in the midst of a job change, and my life transformed tremendously (and fantastically).

And now here I am, over a month into 2016, and I after one new beginning, I am so very ready for another. So welcome to The Bimulous Bookshelf–my new home for book reviews, musings, and yes, ideas. My old, beloved home was here.

I read Philip C. Stead’s new wonder of a book last night, and let’s just say it was a spark of creative inspiration; a gentle nudge toward the realization that the things that bring you joy should always be given attention.

My review:

Ideas Are All Around is a beautiful, meandering, wholly unique picture book that straddles the line between reality and fantasy in a most meditative way. “I don’t have any ideas today,” Stead begins. As he walks with Wednesday, he (and the reader) revel in the beauty that is the process of creating—ideas are out there (they are, in fact, all around), and they are just waiting for us to notice them, to imagine them. Fans of previous Stead books will delight in the winks and nods littered throughout the book: see the animals sitting on the train, reminiscent of the bus spread in Amos McGee; and you just might spot some familiar friends from Hello, My Name is Ruby hanging out in the branches. The collaged art, rendered from polaroids and prints and etchings and other media, are a breath of fresh air that make each page turn an exciting surprise. This is a book to linger over, relishing all of the little details and quiet revelations about the gentle power of imagination.